7 Essentials to Pack Before You Travel
Often the items you need the most are the ones you don’t think about until the end of your trip. No matter how many blogs, YouTube videos, and travel books you read, there’s always something you still wish you had thought of before you left. Pack these 7 travel essentials to help prevent that sense of regret. No matter how trivial these items may seem at the moment, they are all an important aspect of safe, clean, and stress-free travel. Well worth the extra room in your suitcase or backpack!
1. Bedbug sleeper sack
No matter where you are going to be sleeping—hostels, campsites, random couches, even 5-star hotels—you never know where you are going to find those awful pests. They are a growing problem, and not one you want to be messing with… ever. With a sleeper sack, you can stay clean and bug-free no matter where you are. It’s nice and light, easy to pack, comfortable, and even has a pillow cover.
2. Shower Shoes
Most people don’t think they need shower shoes unless they’re going to college. But shower shoes are a real life-saver no matter where you’re staying while traveling. Even just having something to throw on when walking around your room is a nice comfort. You never know what you could step on, and it’s important to take care of your feet for all the adventuring you will be doing.
3. Luggage/Locker padlocks
No matter how secure you think your lodging is, there is always a chance that something could happen to your possessions. Better to be safe than sorry. If you are traveling to hostels, more often than not you will have locker access, but you will need to have your own lock. You never know the lengths to which people will go to get into your suitcase.
4. Mini Journal
While you are out exploring, you might not want to carry your cell phone. So if you are used to taking notes on your phone, you might want to switch to a small notepad. You won’t have to worry about your phone dying or getting stolen. Whether it’s just for fun, in case you might visit again in the future, or add to your blog once you’re back to the world of WiFi, a small compact journal and pen are handy companions.
5. Baby Powder
Whether you’re going from city to city or just staying in one place, you will likely be spending all your time either in transportation or out exploring your surroundings. It’s not always easy or convenient to stay clean and fresh when you have so much to see. Baby powder acts as a dry shampoo, removing grease from your hair. It can also remove sand from your body, reduce chafing, and even remove grease stains from your clothes. If you’re going somewhere hot, sprinkle some baby powder in your sheets to give you a cooling sensation as you sleep. The best part, it comes in travel-sized bottles!
6. Blow-Up Travel Pillow
This one is pretty self-explanatory—you never know when you might need to grab some shut-eye. Blow-up pillows are just as comfortable as regular ones, with the added benefit of being a compressible space-saver.
7. Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline)
Petroleum Jelly has so many useful purposes you’ll wonder how you ever traveled without it. Lip balm, eye makeup remover, skin moisturizer, cut, scrape, burn, and blister soother. The list goes on. It can even be used as a makeup remover, which saves you from packing the liquid kind, which could spill in your suitcase. It can also be used as a shoe shiner, can stretch lotion, and keep your cologne or perfume lasting all day long (apply it before you apply your fragrance).
Bonus: If you find it affordable, a Bluetooth tracker for your important/expensive items, can be a lifesaver for when things go wrong. You can find a relatively small Bluetooth tracker for your luggage, passport, etc.
StockSnap Erol Ahmed